Boards are too big, don't ask hard questions

Leblanc said problems often arise with boards that have 15 or more seats, particularly at hospitals and universities (the IWK has 19 board members).

"There's a culture of not pressing and just assuming that everything is taken care of and everything is appropriate and not putting up your hand," he said.

"The board becomes complacent because it's too large and they're not asking the elephant-in-the-room questions."

Those include questions about expense policies, asking for regular updates on CEO expenses and calling for expense reports, he said. It's vital for all board members — not one or a few — to be getting that information because their top job is overseeing the CEO, said Leblanc.

"It's just not done because there's too much deference and the board becomes lulled into a sense of complacency and indoctrination."

Tracy Kitch resigned as CEO of the IWK Health Centre a week before a report showed she billed $47,000 in personal expenses to the hospital over three years. (Career Women Interaction)